Sir David Trippier presents the ELMC Cheque to Councillor Sue Murphy accompanied by Sir Howard Bernstein
Freemasons have donated almost £200,000 to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund to help those affected by the bomb attack at the Manchester Arena.
Sir David Trippier, head of the 4,500 Masons in East Lancashire, presenting a cheque on Tuesday, June 13th said he felt proud that, in the face of extreme trauma, Freemasons from this country and around the world had felt the need to respond immediately.
The day after the attack, East Lancashire Freemasons arranged a £10,000 donation for the Emergency Fund and this was immediately followed by a gift of £10,000 from colleagues in West Lancashire and a similar amount from Cheshire.
When news of the fund broke, other Masonic areas quickly followed suit encompassing all regions of the country; Sir David added “The most gratifying part was that donations then poured in from across Europe and as far afield as Honk Kong and the USA. But many individual Freemasons from across the world also felt compelled to donate, to demonstrate their support and be part of a collective effort of compassion and caring towards the people of Manchester.”
Councillor Sue Murphy, chair of trustees at the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund said when receiving the cheque “On behalf of the Fund I would like to thank the Freemasons for their generosity. We will be using this money to help those affected by the attack. It’s solidarity such as this that shows the true spirit of Manchester and the support we have across the country.”
Sir David added “It shows that Manchester and the North West do not stand alone and it makes me extremely proud to be a Freemason.”
Through their own Masonic Charitable Foundation, The United Grand Lodge of England (which is this year celebrating its 300th anniversary this year), is consistently one of the first charities to donate to the British Red Cross for emergency relief whenever there is a disaster anywhere in the World.
Freemasons have been supporting their local communities since they were constituted and have given £100million to local charities in the past 30 years alone. Most recently, the Freemasons have donated £5,000 to Broughton House, Salford, which helps disabled ex-Servicemen and women and £60,000 to Henshaws Society for the Blind in Denton.
Read more about the appeal and make a donation HERE